Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy Chapter 1222: Against the Asura’s Disciple

The five pupils assembled swiftly prior to ascending the platform. Amaya's sharp lynx-like gaze sharpened further while she examined the pair selected to accompany their group.

"What's your transformation?" she inquired, her voice sharp yet lacking harshness.

The initial newcomer, a slender lad with fidgety fingers, gulped deeply. "I... I can shift into a mole. I picked it up initially since I prefer tranquility. I simply aimed to conceal myself fast, dig into the earth, and stay secure."

The trio of gifted students shared looks among themselves.

Brannic's eyebrows knit together, Vin's mouth quirked slightly, and Amaya cocked her head to one side. Transforming into a mole was far from the savage creature they anticipated battling beside.

Nevertheless, Vin gave an approving nod. "Digging underground offers advantages. You could explore under the roots, perhaps unsettle Eryn's stance."

Vin personally doubted its effectiveness, yet he recognized their fellow learner possessed no fighting background, forcing them to embrace the reality.

The young man appeared eased upon realizing no reprimand came his way. These peers were undoubtedly superior to his kin.

The other addition, more statuesque and sturdy in build, expressed himself with greater assurance.

"I can change into a boulder. An enormous one. It might seem odd, but I can tumble, shield, and... uh, mainly withstand impacts."

Brannic's eyes widened briefly before he emitted a brief chuckle. "A boulder? That's... surprising."

They had never once thought of morphing into such a form. Even so, it could prove handy.

Amaya let out a breath, her expression warming subtly. "It's decent. A boulder serves as a raised spot or barrier. Protection counts for a lot."

Vin inclined his head once more. "We'll figure it out. Each person contributes something."

Having sketched a basic strategy, the group of five advanced.

Eryn's treant figure towered over them, roots twisting over the arena's surface, limbs waving like caught in a hidden breeze. His emerald gaze shone brightly, and he regarded them with composure.

"So, you've picked me," he stated.

"As in previous rounds, five versus one. Display your gut feelings, teamwork, and cleverness."

The audience fell silent, eager to witness the abilities of these three hopefuls.

Amaya bent low, and shortly after, fur surged across her frame as her Shadow Lynx shape materialized. Vin's wings spread wide too, whereas Brannic bellowed, his Demonic Bear shape expanding with immense strength.

Next, the mole pupil diminished in size, claws stretching longer, snout quivering while his form altered into a digging animal.

Following suit, the boulder pupil toughened up, hide turning coarse, arms and legs pulling in until he formed a gigantic rock, unyielding and sturdy.

The observing pupils were stunned by their shifts, particularly Vin's change. Bird-like shifts proved extremely challenging. Soaring wasn't a natural human skill, after all. Many bird shifts typically couldn't take flight...

Yet Vin stood apart clearly. The moment his transformation completed, he soared right over the treant's limbs!

"Incredible!"

"They all appear impressive!"

"The mole and boulder seem awful, but they could pull it off... See, he's started tunneling already!"

"Do you suppose he's targeting the treant's roots?"

"That's clever indeed... Though those roots will likely strike back at him."

Eryn merely grinned while observing each shift... Once he verified their preparedness, he declared, "Come."

With those words, the clash commenced.

Amaya lunged ahead, her lynx form blurring with speed...

She targeted the treant's side using her talons. Yet Eryn's limb descended, not aiming to smash but to divert, steering her assault into nothingness.

Thud! Thud!

"Well done... That's quick. Give it another go!" Eryn remarked.

Meanwhile, Vin plummeted from above, pinions cutting through the breeze. He plunged amid a flurry of wind blades encircling him!

Boom!

Eryn's limbs wove skyward, creating a cone shape. Vin spiraled, attempting to weave past, but the cone tightened, shoving him earthward. He crashed roughly, feathers grating against wood.

His wind blades scarcely marred the treant!

"Insufficient... Focus your power and attempt once more. Speed beyond that is possible." Eryn urged.

Eryn intended to offer further words, but Brannic barreled in, his bear shape a mass of brawn. He hammered the treant's core, wood splintering from the blow.

Briefly, it appeared successful. However, Eryn's roots erupted, altering the terrain under Brannic's paws. The bear faltered, his blow deflected.

Disrupting his charge proved remarkably simple!

"Power lacking stability... Improve on that."

The mole pupil tunneled, talons scraping the arena's ground.

He vanished under the roots, intending to unsettle Eryn's position from below. But the treant's roots detected him right away, coiling down, grazing his passage. One root raised him softly, placing him atop the ground again.

"Tunnels become tombs without surfacing." Eryn noted, aware he must handle this mole delicately. It was overly delicate, and a cave-in could truly end him. His mentor, Sreas, would definitely discipline him for a student's demise.

At that instant, though, the boulder lumbered ahead, ponderous and deliberate. He collided with Eryn's core, the collision muted yet firm.

Eryn's limbs drooped, prodding the rock gently.

"Quite entertaining... My present limbs struggle to shatter this." Eryn pondered. He truly lacked certainty on cracking it. His Treant Transformation fell short to begin with. It wasn't his strongest shift, and the Spell Level sat at merely Level 4.

Thus, its limbs lacked the hardness to shatter so vast a boulder.

Still, with no damage incoming, he simply shoved it away.

Before long, the five pupils pulled back...

Their initial charge had been effortlessly broken down.

Amaya scowled. "He's anticipating every move like an open scroll."

Vin concurred, "We adjust our approach then."

Brannic's talons scraped the stone surface. "We strike as one."

They pressed onward once more.

Amaya surged forth, zeroing in on the exposed roots. Now, she intended to rip them apart using her teeth!

Vin ascended while amassing additional Arcane Energy for a mighty wind blade.

Brannic, meanwhile, refused to be predicted easily again, so he faked a leftward dash, then right, before barreling directly ahead.

He understood he could repel this treant, requiring only the right buildup...

Should he manage to grasp it briefly for seconds, he could unleash his hidden technique...

The mole tunneled anew, now seeking to surface rearward of Eryn as the boulder veered broadly, setting up as a shield.

Yet, they remained oblivious that Vale’s Avatar had begun observing the fight by then!